Specifically, I've tagged along with my parents to Tibet, and hence the lack of updates while I'm swimming in the high altitudes and frolicking with the yaks. It's a real nice cool and dry over there, and that came in full force when I returned to Singapore's massive pile of humid and hazy air.
Anyway, here are some of the highlights of the photos I've taken:
This is a nice photo, though the focus of that spot is behind me: a sculpture of Buddha - about 10 metres high - into the cliff wall. I wished I had more time to capture a better composition, but some locals were about to walk into the picture from my left (it turns out that they were going to fertilise the pond).
The most amazing thing about this Yamdrok Lake is the deep blue colour - its most striking feature, especially when viewed from a mountaintop behind me (a typical tourist spot). I like this photo because the lighter colours of the fields in the opposite shore makes it appear as if light was shining through the clouds onto the village.
Sheep sheep sheep! (Or are they goats?) In any case, livestock are so common in rural areas, the coach we were travelling in had often to give way to them... cows, yaks, sheep/goats, boars, pigs and even dogs. It is the case in this photo: the coach is cautiously overtaking this army of sheep/goats.
Excellent photo, standard postcard picture. But still, nice to be there, proud to have it in my personal photo collection!
At certain tourist destinations, locals offer photo posing opportunities with Tibetan mastiffs for a small fee. I went for the free cat instead.
Strictly speaking, this is not in Tibet but in the neighbouring state of Qinghai (connecting by the railway in the first photo), but it's a wonderful sight to behold that I've decided to add this in.
More selected photos on my Picasa album.
5 comments:
Jackson! You went to Tibet. So cool! My friend went there, too, around the same time. I envy you both. What did you do there? Did you cross the Gobi desert? How long did you stay?
Gobi is northeast Tibet right? I didn't go to that region. I stayed around the central area, close to Lhasa and a couple of neighbouring states. It is a simple ten day tour, nothing extravagant or extensive.
It was a packaged tour which I took with my parents. The itinerary includes natural scenery and monasteries, though I find that too many of the latter was included.
Ten days is great! I wish to travel, too. May be not with a package. But my Chinese CMI. So, I might probably need one.
Say if I don't take tour, how much does it cost? how is the mobile coverage over there?
I am planning to go to NZ over the summer. What are your plans?
No idea of the cost of backpacking, but it might not be any cheaper than a packaged tour because I think tour agencies are able to get discounts and government subsidies on locations, food and hotels. In any case, I won't suggest it unless you're really set on it, because Tibet is not really that backpacker-friendly. It's not like in Australia, where transport and accommodations can be easily arranged.
As for mobile coverage, I have completely no idea since I didn't bring my handphone over, but I think it should be alright because I see the tour guide and coach driver using theirs at various points, even in rural areas. If you're in a city or town, there's definitely mobile connection.
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